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Friday, February 3, 2012

BOOTS ON THE GROUND is a series of posts aimed at introducing consumers to a diverse group of people who have their boots on the ground working in the agriculture industry in some form. This series will bring you all kinds; from boots that do chores on a family farm in the heartland to boots that walk the steps up to the Capital daily. You better grab hold of your bootstraps because it'll be one heck of a ride!

Rosie Templeton - agriculture advocate

Today we go way North to check out a pair of boots that are most likely insulated for the majority of the year! Rosie Templeton grew up on her family's grain farm and cattle ranch in Coaldale, Alberta, Canada. Rosie was born into a family of agriculturists who have been working on the same operation to raise purebred cattle and grain crops for three generations! She is currently a student at the University of Alberta studying Agriculture Business. Making it home to the family farm is always a a priority in her life and you'll see why when you read this post!

Rosie pictured on her purebred cattle ranch.The pictured cattle is an older group of bulls are used for breeding purposes. The breed of cattle Rosie's family raises is called Hereford. Hereford cattle have distinct markings and are raised as a beef breed of cattle, which means that they are eventually bred to produce high quality meat for consumers. Purebred breeders, like Rosie's family, rarely slaughter their cattle, but rather make breeding decisions to provide good genetics to sell to other cattle ranchers.

When do you pull your boots on in the morning?

The morning routine at the farm usually starts with chores around 7am. All of our cattle need to be fed, checked for health issues, and given fresh bedding on a regular basis. Depending on the time of year, most of the day can be spent baling hay, trailing cows to a fresh pasture, building fences, having the veterinarian out to check pregnancy rates in our cows, or checking every few hours for cows ready to give birth. You’ll never have the same day twice working on a farm.

Agricultural jobs are rarely 8-5er's, when do you get to take your boots off at night?

Even when the outdoor work is done at the farm, there is plenty more to do. Each of our purebred cattle come with extensive paperwork with their full pedigrees, health information, and history. Keeping records is an important part of our farm. My family is also very involved in several volunteer committees that aim to improve our local cattle and agriculture industries. My personal involvement extends from Collegiate 4-H Club President at my University to Vice President of the Alberta Junior Hereford Association, along with my studies and hobby blog, Absolutely Agriculture.

Rosie checking on a baby calf out on her ranch. Ranching families are concerned about the health and productivity of the cattle they raise. Every year a cow on Rosie's ranch will produce one calf. Sometimes you will get a set of twins out of one cow.

Here is your platform, what do you want consumers to know?If I could tell consumers one major thing about agriculture, it would be that their food comes from hard-working farmers and ranchers who care about their animals as much as my family does. A healthy, low-stress animal will be the most productive animal in our cow herd or a feedlot.

Rosie is an excellent example of why the future of Agriculture is so darn bright. She's driven to educate the consumer because she enjoys what she does so much. Please check out her blog, Absolutely Agriculture, to keep up with her and her farm!

She would also be happy to answer any questions you might have about where your food comes from. E-mail her at: rosie[dot]templeton@live[dot]caBest,

Tera Rooney

BOOTS ON THE GROUND is brought to you by Country Outfitter They sent me a fancy new pair of boots and so I'm linking them on to this series. They help put boots on the ground, and I know I will be ordering my next pair from them too!

Thanks Penny B! You have many reasons to be proud of Rosie. Advocating for agriculture, might top the list, because of how important it is to reach consumers. We appreciate you reading the blog and hope you will share with your friends!

That's inspiring! There's a good number of farm lands that have been left abandoned in Alberta, so it's good to know there's still plenty of young people interested in it. It's a shame some farm land owners just abandon their land when there's plenty of professional brokers that can lend their services and know-how, so they can still make a value out of their lands.

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Food For Thought will provide consumers with answers about where their food comes from by empowering agriculturalists,

informing consumers, and confronting myths about modern agriculture through innovative and effective methods.

Who is Food For Thought?

FFT is a group of Kansas State University students looking to bridge the gap between agriculture and consumers. The grass-roots group was started by students coming together to discuss ways to meet the challenges of misconceptions about an agriculture industry removed from its urban consumers. The group includes undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students, as well as young alumni, working under the